As a counter measurement to Ad spam, newly registered users are required to create a thread in the Introduction Forum before allowing to be able to reply and create threads. Please allow some time for posts to be approved. We thank you for your patience on this matter.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

-Violet Evergarden: A must watch, Kyoani is doing a great job on this one so far.

Violet is good, but some parts of the plot are painfully obvious, and I have a hard time empathizing with Violet herself. That being said, Kyoani's animation for this one is top-notch.

-Darling in the Franxx: This baby between Trigger and A-1 is absolutely amazing, a must watch as well.

As I said, it feels like a throwback to the good old days of NGE, Diebuster, and Gurren Lagan. In many ways it feels like a spiritual successor to NGE coupled with the fanservice and weirdness of Diebuster.

-Overlord 2: It's way better than the first season already.

Personally I have to disagree. I loathed the lizardmen chapters of the light-novel when I read them via a translation team, and I disliked the human politics section almost as much. They just didn't seem to tie into the broader plot that well, felt tedious, and there was the general realization that these characters were largely set up for Ainz and co. to knock down at a later date.

-Pop Team Epic: Shitposting the anime, a must watch for the lols.

Haven't seen this one yet. If you're recommending it, I may well have to check it out.

-Killing Bites: The action packed ecchi show of the season, really good if you like these kind of shows.

As compared to Sekirei, F/SN, or Ikkitousen, I actually found killing bites to be unwatchable and for the most part unreadable in manga form. Killing Bites' problem is that it's so generic that it fundamentally fails to stand out except in its fanservice. The male lead in particular seems to be less a character than a convenient plot device for setting up fights for the female main character. What will happen is, for the most part, simply too obvious because it's all been done before and Killing Bites has at no point demonstrated how it might make itself stand out.

-Kokkoku: Interesting premise and so far the first episodes were really good, hopefuly it continues to deliver.

-Marchen Madchen: At first I thought this was gonna be a sweet anime that would take a madoka turn, but turns out that this is quite the cute sexy mahou shoujo show, it's nothing too special but fun enough to watch.

-Citrus: This is not yuri bait, well... it kinda is but it doesn't rely on that fact to be good, it has a good story and characters so it's worth a watch.

-Takagi-san: Jailbait the anime, seriously... Takagi is so freaking cute that it's insane, it's also a cute "innocent" anime and so far, I can say that I honestly like it.

-Koi wa ameagari: Finally it's time to see a girl being a total creep towards an old dude, it's absolutely fantastic to see that kind of twist and it's not that bad.

-Sora yo mo toori basho: Cute girls doing cute things at the end of the world, what else can you ask for? it's visually stunning and gorgeous, so it's a must watch as well.

It clears up a fair amount of the plot-holes surrounding Zero-Two and Hiro, as well as their circumstances. It's also drawn by Yabuki Kentaro (of ToLoveRu Darkness infamy), so expect the detailed nudity that he's famous for.

I'm back! It took me quite a while to get around to watching Winter's anime but here are my thoughts. This season really has a lot of pretty good shows but there are a few that really stand out.

Must WatchSora Yori mo Tooi Basho - I love this show so much. A great coming of age story with a cast of cute characters and a story you don't see everyday. All the girls are a blast to watch and I can't get enough of their energy. The art and animation is also so full of life that it just leaves you excited and wanting more. It's also nice to watch them all grow up in their own ways.

Overlord II - I liked the 1st season and it appears that the 2nd season is taking the time to flesh out the supporting cast. Seeing how well the 1st season went, I'm really looking forward to more of it. For those of you who didn't catch the first season, it's an isekai show that is better than most. It's got a colourful cast and an interesting MC. Definitely pick up the 1st season if you haven't seen it yet.

Yuru Camp - This is a cute girls doing cute things show about camping. The girls all have interesting personalities and the camping theme takes them way off the beaten path to show you some jawdropping scenery. It helps that the character designs are all eyecatching and interesting. It also really captures the quiet serenity of camping quite well.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni - My romance fix of the season. To be honest, the art is on the old fashioned side but it helps nail the shoujo-manga vibe the show has going for it. The animation is top notch though and some of the scenes are breathtaking. The story itself is a little on the creepy instead of sweet side with a high schooler falling for someone twice her age though. But everything just comes together that it's easy to forget the massive age gap.

Violet Evergarden - The haunting feeling this show gives off is complimented by the beautiful KyoAni art. And boy is the art good. KyoAni has blown it out of the water art and animation wise. The characters and the backgrounds are all drawn and animated up to a movie standard. Of course, an anime can't go very far on just art alone. For that, KyoAni has put in a story revolving around a child soldier recovering from what is essentially PTSD as she tries to fit back into civilised life. From what I saw in the first few episodes, the characters are interesting enough to be a base to build lots of development on. It certainly looks like KyoAni has a hit on their hands.

Worth A WatchCitrus - A pretty good lesbian romance/drama show. The characters feel quite realistic. The fact that you can see the exact same thing going down if either of the genders of the characters were switched just adds more realism to the proceedings. The character designs are pretty good too with the 'secret gal' being my current favourite of the lot.

Grancrest Senki - I didn't expect much from this show but it certainly has delivered. I went into this thinking it'd be standard fantasy harem stuff but I was pleasantly surprised. The MC has a noble goal and the main girl is manipulative but honest about her intentions. It hasn't become mired in all of the typical fantasy tropes yet and there is still room for political intrigue and war. Looks pretty interesting from the first few episodes.

Gakuen Babysitters - This is a charming little show about raising kids. All the fun is in watching the cast get taught some new life lessons by the kids. The art is pretty solidly in the shoujo manga camp which does suit this show but the super big eyes still throw me off. I must say that the antics of the cast and kids are really fun to watch.

Kokkoku - A supernatural drama with a neat concept and great character designs. The setting of the world has me hooked and the characters are good enough to have you invested in their wellbeing from their introduction. That said, I can't really give a proper grasp of the show after only watching so few episodes because there's still so much left hidden. Looking forward to see how this one goes.

Mitsuboshi Colors - A cute girls doing cute things slice of life show. The girls are all precocious grade schoolers that are acting more important than they have any right to be. Yet it all works and makes the show really endearing. No matter how bratty they get or how pissed off they make the cop they like to troll, you can't help but forgive them in the end. It's funny and heartwarming and you really should pick it up.

Slow Start - Another slice of life show, this time set in a high school. It revolves around a shy girl that needs to open up a bit more. So we get a colourful bunch of lively girls to help her along the way. The pastel palette of the show really gives it a nice, calming feel to it. Overall, a nice calming show to get you through the day.

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san - Personally, this show would've done a lot better in a shorter format. As it stands, I find that the agonising that the MC does and the overly long focus on his reaction faces makes the show feel slow and plodding. That said, the humour is good and Takagi is the fucking best. Those two points are what makes it a show to give a shot. If you still can't get over how slow it is, definitely go read the manga.

Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - It's shogi with lolis and fanservice. But the actual show itself has more substance than that description would lead you to believe. It focuses more on the shogi and fills the audience in on what is going on and helps them get into the game. The loli fanservice does get a bit too much and does kind of detract from the rest of the show though. But fear not, there also appears to be girls around the MC's age (16) and adult women too! Though they haven't appeared yet.

Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line - I'm still hooked on this franchise. Even though it is getting a little bit old at this point, it still has the high intensity and hot bloodedness that a good sports anime should have. Even if you don't like cycling, this show should keep you interested. Though, it does suffer from the shounen problem of dragging things out for too long.

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens - The premise behind this show is intriguing. A city full of hired killers and a bushy tailed, starry eyed new hire that looks like he's treating the job as a standard salaryman career. The first episode does overwhelm by introducing new characters one after the other but I suppose they'll flesh them out eventually. The whole place gives off a very Durarara vibe but here's hoping that the narrative isn't as all over the place as that show.

Hakumei to Mikochi - A sweet little show about the daily lives of a couple of forest elves. As a bonus it's gone some yuri undertones to it. It's pretty much a fantastical romp through a magical forest where the animals can talk and elves are real. It's almost like a children's show in how charming it is.

Darling in the Franxx - Trigger's latest offering gets off to a pounding start. Traces of Eureka Seven, Chrome Shelled Regois and Kill la Kill can be seen in the first episode. The animation is great and the mech vs kaijuu fights are intense. The mech designs feel a bit... weird though. That said, I am looking forward to what Trigger has in store and I already like what I see.

Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu - This is a solid shounen show and I liked the first season. The second season hasn't been much from what I've seen but you can tell that it's building up to a massive final showdown. I like what I see so far and anyone who likes shounen should pick this up.

To Pass The TimeEmiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan - This is pretty much food porn in every sense of the word. Imagine those Twitch streams where people just eat and you've got this show. There are some cooking tips here and there but the show is primarily about watching Fate characters chow down and say how good the food is.

Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san - Same as the above, only this time with cute girls. It does function as advertising for ramen as well. One thing I dislike about the show is the seriously stalkerish MC that goes into psycho lesbian territory. Otherwise it's just food porn watching cute girls scarf down ramen.

Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru - The 1st season of this was alright and the 2nd season seems to be more of the same. Cute guys doing cute things and all that jazz. It's a pretty relaxing watch even if you aren't into Touken or men.

Basilisk: Ouka Ninpou Chou - I admit I don't know much about Basilisk but it appears that this is a sequel so you don't need to know about the original story? That said, the art is really old fashioned. Like from the late 80s old fashioned. Not to say that it isn't good, but the style just bothers me a bit. This is a dark and gritty ninja show with lots of killing and political intrigue. Usually I'd like it but the period drama style and the art is really letting me down this time.

Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku - An isekai show that is pretty good but the anime disappoints. It feels like it's being dragged out longer than it should compared to the manga. Also while it's the quality MC that makes this stand out from other isekai, it still falls into the trap of the MC being the all powerful problem solver.

Marchen Madchen - This is a cute magical girl show that doesn't really have much going for it at the moment other that cute girls. There's a plot somewhere but it hasn't gotten into gear yet. Good to watch as a distraction but I don't have high hopes for where this goes.

Dagashi Kashi 2 - The 1st season was alright but the premise of the show is starting to wear thin. I can only take so much of blatant advertising for Japanese candy. Still watchable because of the character's antics though.

Miira no Kaikata - I'm not entirely sure what this show is supposed to be other than some cynical cash grab to shill some goods. That's all I can see with all the cute mini monster pets running around. There doesn't seem to be an overarching plot, just some bland slice of life going on.

Beatless - This is from the artist that did Guilty Crown so some similarities are noticeable. From the first episode though, I am apprehensive that this will turn out exactly like GC did. As far as I can tell, this is going to go down the Date A Live route with a robot harem instead of an extradimensional superwomen harem.

Stay AwayToji no Miko - Aka The Adventures of Yukikaze and Isokaze. All joking aside, wow this is really paint by numbers. The godawful CG doesn't help either. The only good point of the show right now is Yoshinori's character design.

Sanrio Danshi - Pretty much a show to shill character goods with a helping of good looking guys as yaoi bait. Don't take the bait.

Hakyuu Houshin Engi - The art and animation is bad, oh so bad. There's even some Hisoka wannabe prancing around. I watched this because I thought "Hey, Houshin Engi". I am regretting that decision.

Takunomi. - A short about a bunch of girls drinking and talking. It isn't as interesting as it sounds.

Killing Bites - This is just a gorefest like Terraformars mixed with some sexbaiting fanservice. The fights aren't done very well, the character designs are laughable (especially the difference between male and female) and the plot is a standard fighting tournament one. The last straw for me was the whole spiel about creating "killing machines", then they show a girl with bunny dna.

I hand the painful displeasure of reading the Overlord light novels (through Skythewood's Chinese translations). Beginning with the lizardmen chapters, Overlord spends the next two or three novels trying to world-build. It tries this by focusing on the Slaine Theocracy, Baruth Empire, and the lizardmen. These novels are an utterly mindnumbing slog which gives no indication of the greater link to the story. At best, the reader gets two or three tidbits of information regarding precisely what happened to the world, but these are buried in political matters that have little to no use to the grand story.

The only time we see Ainz or the main cast during these novels is when the Empire sends a team of raiders to check out Nazarick. Needless to say, they are slaughtered to the man, with the last surviving member ending up being trapped in a massive underground skydome where she is taunted, tortured, and then vivisected by Entoma, who takes her vocal cords, having lost her previous ones in a battle against the adventurers' guild.

In short, from volumes three through seven, the novels focus on the lizardmen and the human kingdoms/empires/theocracies. We don't get to focus back on Nazarick until the end of volume 7, and not properly until volume 9, where all the characters finally play their roles in the subjugation of E-Rantel and the foundation of Ainz's "Kingdom of Sorcery" as a "utopia for all races."

TL;DR: Yeah, I'd skip overlord season 2 if I were you. Nothing happens, basically, as it takes *three whole novels* to introduce the characters for the next major arc

@firemagnet I don't think the next arc involving Sebas and Demiurge will be boring at all.

You're right. Those parts aren't boring. But they're a few chapters among the greater slog. Perhaps its because the translations weren't written well, but I remember the reading being very boring, which is odd given that high fantasy and science fiction are usually something I enjoy reading.